At cusp of geulah, it’s our final redemption

Sitting in Jerusalem after Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah this year was like sitting in the waiting room of the obstetrics wing at a hospital. You’re waiting expectantly for a blessed event to occur, yet that hope is tinged with fear: What if something goes wrong?

This gestation period — this “pregnancy” — has been long and arduous. For two years, we have nurtured and supported one another. We’ve grieved, prayed, sung and cried together. We’ve fought the demonic forces that sought to destroy us, our children, our future, our homeland. We’ve seen so much tragedy that one might begin to think this is the norm. But it isn’t.

Recently, we were blessed to witness 20 such “births” — hostages returned to us alive. These join the 147 already released or rescued.

But we remember the “births” that did not end in joy. We’re still waiting for the return of the remains of hostages held by barbaric captors, including some for more than a decade, like Hadar Goldin. We remember the more than 2,000 who gave their lives — 1,200 murdered on Oct. 7 and nearly 1,000 soldiers killed in combat. Tens of thousands have been injured. Hundreds of thousands displaced. Countless more are suffering trauma. May Hashem avenge their pain and heartache.

And we are still waiting for one more “birth” — the final redemption. These are the chevlei Mashiach, the birth pangs of the Messiah. I believe Mashiach is already here, waiting to be revealed, just as David HaMelech was hidden in the time of King Saul. But his revelation depends on us: our deeds, mitzvot, Torah learning and most of all, our ahavat achim, love for one another.

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Remember Oct. 6? We were at each other’s throats — especially in Israel. Disputes over judicial reform, religious observance, political divisions — we were bitterly divided. On Shemini Atzeret, the day of our joy and unity, we were struck by terror.

Maybe on Hoshanah Rabbah, the final day of our pleas for mercy, we didn’t pray hard enough two years ago.

This year, as we cried, “Hosha na, Hoshea na (Help us! Save us!)” hostages were freed — two years to the day of their abduction. That’s no coincidence. That is Hashem answering our prayers.

Now the onus is on us. This could be the year of geulah — but we must do two things:

1) Declare, “Ein od milvado ( There is no one but Hashem).”

2) Make ahavat achim our highest priority.

Tanach and Chazal support this. In parashat Bereishit, there was no avodah zara — Adam and Chava knew Hashem intimately. But soon came Kayin’s murder of Hevel, brother against brother. Internecine hatred continued with Yosef and his brothers — yet there, Hashem shows us a tikkun: Yosef is released from prison after two years— like our hostages; he refused to implicate his brothers to their father or hold a grudge against them.

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n sefer Shemot, Moshe is described as hearing the cries of his brothers even before he knows he’s Jewish. Miriam watches over baby Moshe.

The exemplary relationship between brother and sister had been demonstrated earlier by Miriam’s overwhelming concern for Moshe the infant’s safety and the lifelong friendship and love that Aharon the elder had for his more prominent and renowned younger brother Moshe. On the other hand, the later actions of Korach and Datan and Aviram and their cohorts demonstrate the destructive nature of brotherly hatred.

We see both love and division in our history. Bilaam’s curse becomes the bracha of “Mah tovu ohalecha Yaakov.” Yet generations later, the kingdom splits into Yehuda and Yisrael and idolatry and downfall follow.

The Talmud (Yoma 9b) says the Second Temple fell because of sinat chinam, baseless hatred.

Today we have a third chance. All the indications are there.

We go from am l’vadad yishkon (a people that dwell apart) to am k’lavi yakum (a people that arises like a lion). Isn’t that what we have witnessed

Moshe’s rebuke in Haazinu describes how we’re scattered and punished — and then Hashem brings back hostages and exacts vengeance. Is this not unfolding now?

Whether it’s the war of Gog u’Magog described in the haftaroth of Sukkot, to the words of Nechemiah describing the return of hostages on Hoshana Rabbah and celebrating Shmini Atzeret, to all the incredible miracles that we witnessed during the last two years that are a prelude to the coming of Moshiach [described in detail in sefer Zechariah, Chapter 9 — read it for yourself if you don’t believe me], the death of Sinwar, “King of Aza,” the fall of Syria and Lebanon, the return of our hostages from tunnels, missiles taken out by Hashem’s “arrow.” It’s all there, provided to us, if we’d only look.

Malachi, the final prophet, tells us:

Behold, I send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of Hashem. … He shall turn the hearts of parents to children and children to parents.

Nearly every returned hostage has had a spiritual awakening. So have their parents.

T

he Gemara in Avoda Zara 2b discusses the role of the great nations at the End of Days.

Tosafot there records that nine months prior to the coming of Moshiach, Persia (Iran) will fall into the hands of Rome (the West). On June 21-22, 2025, corresponding to 25-26 of Sivan, the United States and Israel bombed and defeated Iran — that is 9 months prior to the end of the month of Adar, just about to begin the month of Nisan. Our Sages tell us that just as the first geulah from Egypt was in Nisan, so too the future geulah will be in Nisan (masechet Rosh Hashanah 10b).

Hashem gave us the words of the prophets for guidance.

We have the power to bring the geulah.

Rabbi Akiva believed that ahavat achim was the very essence of Jewish observance. He famously said “v’ahavta l’re’acha kamocha” is klal gadol baTorah — that “love your neighbor as yourself” is THE great lesson of the Torah.

Let’s come together and make it klal hachi gadol baTorah the GREATEST lesson in the Torah, and bring about the geula, the redemption we so desperately need.

B’yachad nenatzeach.

Shabbat Shalom.

Write: Columnist@TheJewishStar.com